Inside the Beltway: The Zimmerman numbers

Yes, there’s a poll for everything. Ergotron, a niche furniture manufacturer, recently surveyed 1,000 Americans to discover that 86 percent of U.S. workers sit all day, and that 7 of 10 “detest” it.

The survey also found that Americans sit an average of 13 hours a day and sleep an average of 8 hours, resulting in a “sedentary lifestyle” lasting 21 hours a day. The American Medical Association already has condemned this phenomenon and issued new workplace policy directives last month, urging employers to provide sitting alternatives, such as standing desks and exercise balls.

Wait. This sounds like a perfect new cause for either first lady Michelle Obama or New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. But no matter.

The poll also found that only 31 percent of Americans go to the gym, and 56 percent devote less than $10 per month to staying active. But standing at work? It could happen: 96 percent would be willing to stand more to improve their health or life expectancy, and 30 percent even responded that they would rather go without coffee for a week — to stand, rather than sit.

“There is a significant opportunity for people to change their behavior in the workplace and for corporations to change their cultures,” says Jane Payfer, spokeswoman for the Minnesota-based company, which incidentally makes, uh, standing desks.

POLL DU JOUR

• 41 percent of Americans say they would have found George Zimmerman not guilty if they had served on the jury; 46 percent of white respondents and 14 percent of black respondents agree.

• 27 percent of Americans overall were “disappointed” in the verdict; 53 percent of blacks and 23 percent of whites agree.

• 23 percent overall would have found Mr. Zimmerman guilty of manslaughter; 39 percent of whites and 22 percent of blacks agree.

• 22 percent overall were “pleased” by the verdict; 25 percent of whites and 5 percent of blacks agree.

• 21 percent were unsure how they would have reacted; 20 percent of whites and 11 percent of blacks agree.

• 15 percent would have found Mr. Zimmerman guilty of murder; 12 percent of whites and 36 percent of blacks agree.

Source: A HuffPost/YouGov poll of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted July 15-16.